These days, owning a motorbike is a great way to get around. It allows you to cover certain distances very easily, even for racing. However, it can happen that your tyres, whether front or rear, break down and you need to change them. In this case, you probably didn’t know how to go about changing them. This article will give you a few steps to follow in order to carry out the fitting.
Make Sure You Have the Necessary Equipment
Changing all the wheels on a motorbike, including the rim and tyre, requires the right equipment. These include: three tyre levers, a shell remover, a spray bottle, an air compressor, a new tyre (available from motorbike accessory shops), rim protectors and, if possible, elbow grease. All these accessories are essential for the change. Once you’ve got your equipment together, you can start fitting.
Remove or unstick the tyre bead
The first step in changing the wheels of a motorbike is to remove the bead. To do this, you need to remove the valve shell to let the air out. Next, place the wheel on a protective surface. To do this, you can use your stand, relying on the weight of your machine. To do this, you need to place the machine on the two stands located in the centre. Next, move the machine to the left-hand stand position, aiming at the sidewall of the tyre to be demounted near the rim. This operation should also be repeated in the other direction.
Removing the Tyre From the Rim
Once you have carried out the previous operation, you will need to remove the tyres from the rim. This is done in several stages. The first is to hook the tyre bead at a 45° angle. Next, you’ll need to release them as you go, with the help of your hand. Then slide the tyre levers you have onto the free side while connecting the other to the rims.
Fitting the New Tyre
Finally, you will have to fit a new wheel, and this is done more precisely according to the alignment position with the valve. To do this, you need to spray the rims and then the sidewall with soapy water.
Putting Air in the Tyre
Knowing how to change a wheel also involves inflating the tyre. This can be done manually using a mini-compressor or automatically. You’ll need to observe the pressure of the air entering the inner tube. If your machine is not powerful enough, it is advisable to bounce the wheel so that the beads are positioned in the best possible way. To finalise these operations, add soapy water to observe the bubbles. If they appear then you’ve made a success of your change, but if they don’t you’ll need to check and detect what’s wrong. Checking the pressure of the air entering the inner tube must be done with extreme care.